Hat-forming block.



No. 732,163. PATENTBD JUNE 30, 1903.

. J. W. BROWN.

HAT FORMING BLOCK.

APPLICATION FILED DEO. 8. 1902.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented June 30, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES W. BROVN, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO EDWARDT. NIQUET, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

HAT-FORMING BLOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. `732,163, dated J' une30, 1903. Application lecl December 8,1902. Serial No. 134,310. (Nomndel.)

To all wir/m, t may con/067171,:

Be it known that I, JAMES W. BROWN, residing at Milwaukee, Milwaukeecounty, and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Hat-Forming Blocks, of which the following is adescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which area part of this specification.

The object of my invention is to provide means in a hat-forming blockwhereby the hat-block is especially adapted for shaping and formingbell-crowned hats made of straw braid plaited and sewed together forladies use. The means for accomplishing this is embodied in the noveldevices or apparatus herein shown and described, which apparatus ispeculiarly well adapted for convenient and ready use, as well as forobtaining successful results in the forming of hat-crowns of the bellform.

The invention consists of a hat-block, its parts, and combinations ofparts, as herein described and claimed, or the equivalents thereof.

In the drawings, Figure lis a top plan View of my improved hat-block,the parts being in their initial positions. Fig. 2 is a top plan view ofmy improved hat-forming block, the parts being in the positions whichthey take when forced into place for shaping or forming the crown of ahat. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section of the hat-block, the partsbeing in the initial positions shown in Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a transversevertical section of the hat-block, the parts being in the positionsshown in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical section of thehat-block at a right angle to the section shown in Fig. 3, the partsbeing in the initial positions shown in Fig. l. Fig. 6 is a transversesection of the hat-block at a right angle to the section shown in Fig.4, the parts being in the positions shown in Fig. 2; and Fig. 7 is aview of one of the mov` able members of the block, the View showing thebottom and beveled periphery of the member.

In the drawings, 2 isthe base of the hatblock, the upper surface ofwhich may be and advisably is so formed as to be adapted to shape thebrim of a hat on the top surface thereof, the brim resting on thesurface of the base. In the drawings the top surface of this base isshown as concave, being thereby adapted to form a brim of a hat thatwould be more or less upturned outwardly. The

shape of this base is not material to the pres 6o ent invention, nor, infact, is it necessary that the base should have a top surface that isadapted for the shaping of a hat-brim thereon.

In the construction of my improved hatforming block there is amedially-disposed member 3, which is fixed on some base, as advisablythe base 2 ofthe character of the one shownin the drawings. It will beunderstood that this base, with ,the hat-forming block thereon, isportable, so that it can be placed 7o on and removed from a heater orother suitable support for the apparatus. The fixed medial member 3 hasside walls that incline inwardly upwardly, giving itin the constructionshown in the drawings the form of a truncated pyramid, though the formof this fixed member will depend on the form given to the movablemembers making up the other portions of the hat-block. In theconstruction shown in the drawings there are two 8o movable members 4 4,which severally form portions of the rim or periphery of the block andare located severally on opposite sides of the medial member 3and aresecured thereto movably and yieldingly by an interposed .85

coiled Yspring 5, which passes freely transversely through the member 3in an aperture therefor and is secured or anchored at its ends,respectively, to the members 4 4 in apertures therefor, being fastenedtherein 9o conveniently by pins b' 6, inserted inthe members 4 4 andpassing through terminal `eyes or loops of the spring. Thespring-apertures in the movable'members 4 4`are substantially inalinement with the springaper 95 ture in the xed medial member 3. Twoother movable members 7 7 make parte of the hat-block, which members aredisposed opposite each other on opposite sides of the medial member 3and areinterposed between i o a completed and set form for shaping orform-r ing thereon the bell-crown of a hat. When in the positions shownin Figs. 2, 4, and 6, the lateral exterior surfaces of the members 4 4and 7 7 unitedly form the perimeter or side wall of the hat-formingblock, adapted to form thereon a bell-crown hat of a circular orslightly-oval form. lt will be observed that when the members of theblock are disposed as shown in Figs. 2, 4, and 6 the outer peripheralWall of the block iiares outwardly, thus adapting it for shaping thebell-crown of a hat. The construction of the members 3, 4, and 7 of theblock is such that when they are forced into the positions shown inFigs. 2, 4, and 6 they form the complete hat-block properly set forshaping a bell-crown. It will be observed that the inner walls 8 of themenibers 4 4 are so formed that they are in a substantially verticalposition when in the completed and set block, as shown in Figs. 2 and 6,and it should be understood that the movable detachable members 7 arecapable of being forced upwardly from their` positions between the endsof the members 4 4, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, to those illustrated inFigs. 1, 3, and 5 and that they are thus forced upwardly by the members4 4 when relieved of a holding-down load and pulled toward each other bythe spring 5, which members 4 4 are thereby tilted into the positionsshown in Fig. 5, in which the exterior lateral walls of l the members 44 are in vertical positions. The members 7 7 are of wedge form in radialsection, as is shown in Fig. 4. As thus formed the inner surface of eachof these members rests on the side of the member 3, and as this inclinesinwardly upwardly these members 7 7 when they are. raised from theposition shown in Fig. 4 move inwardly, as well as upwardly, riding onmember 3 in the manner shown in Fig. 3, whereby they also, like themembers 4 4, are brought toward each other to such extent that abell-crowned hat .theretofore on the set. hat-block can be readilylifted therefrom. The ends ,9 9 of each of these members 7 are inclinedinwardly downwardly, and each end its on a correspondingly-beveledsurface of one of the members 4. By this construction the members 7 7when forced from the position shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 5 downwardly intothe position shown in Figs. 2 and 4 force the members 4 4 outwardly,tilting them over into the positions shown in Figs. 2 and 6, thussetting the hat-block for hat-shaping work, and by this construction themembers 7 7 are forced upwardly and inwardly along the member 3 underthe compression wedgingly of the members 4 4 under the action of spring5 when the holding-down load is removed.

Fig. 7 shows an under side view of one of the members 4, exhibiting theflat bottom 10, the curved beveled perimeter 11, and the recess 12,within which the member 3 its. 'lhe shoulders 13, which are at thebottom of the member 4, fit against the sides of the fixed medial member3 and prevent the member 4 from moving endwise with reference to the`medial member.

In the manufacture of a straw hat this forming-block is employed rst bythe operative during the sewing of the braided strip of straw to itselfin the making of the crown of the hat by placing the partially-madecrown over the block when in the position shown in Figs. l, 3, and 5 andpressing down the members 7 7, with the partially-built crown of thehatl thereon, into the set block positions, shown in Figs. 2, 4, and 6,whereby the operative ascertains that the crown of the hat is of aproper size substantially to t the block. When the crown is completed,so far as sewing the straw braid is concerned, the thus-completed crownis saturated with a liquid stiening material and is placed on the blockwhen in the position shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 5,and the crown and themembers 7 7 are forced down, tilting and spreading ythe members4 4 untilthe block, with the crown thereon, assumes the set form shown in Figs.2, 4, and 6, when the crown and the block are held down by placing aweight on the top thereof, and leaving the crown to dry the weight isremoved, and thereupon by the automatic acting of the spring 5 themembers 4 4 are uptilted and the members 7 7 .are forced upwardly intothe positions shown in Figs. l, 3, and 5, when the hat may be readilyremoved from the block. l

In use it is common to employ sets of these blocksof about sixteen innumber, and these are placed on steam-heaters or other means for heatingand drying the stiffening material, and the operative places a completedsaturated crown of a vhat on one of these blocks and then on another andanother until hats are placed on the entire set of blocks, by which timethe first hat placed on a block will be dry and can be removed, so thatvanother hat can be placed on the block from which the first hat hasbeen removed, and the process continued by successively removing thehats from the succeeding blocks.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. A hat-forming block,'comprising ame- `dial fixed member, marginal hat-block memroo by such downwardmovement, and means adapted automatically to withdraw the tiltablemembers inwardly and thereby to raise the wedging members when relievedfrom beingI held downwardly.

2. A hat-forming block, comprising a medial fixed member having oppositesurfaces inclined inwardly upwardly, marginal members tiltable towardand from the medial member, means securing the tiltable membersyieldingly tiltably to the medial member, and wedging marginal hat-blockmembers interposed between the tiltable members adapted to tilt andspread apart the tiltable members on being forced down between them andto be moved upwardly and inwardly on the surface of the medial member bythe coming together of the tiltable members.

3. In a hat-forming block, a fixed medial member, marginal tiltablemembers opposite each other bearing at theirlower edges against themedial member and adapted to tilt toward and from the upper portion ofthe medial member, and means adapted to draw the tiltable membersyieldingly toward each other and the interposed medial member at thetop.

4. In a hat-forming block, a fixed medial member, marginal tiltablemembers opposite each otherbearingr at theirlower edges against themedial member and having shoulders passing around and engaging themedial member preventing endwise movement of these marginal members onthe medial member, and a contracting spring holding the marginal membersyieldingly to the medial member.

5. Inahat-forming block,arelatively fixed medial member, marginalmembers bearing opposite each other against the medial member at thebottom and tiltable toward and from the medial member at the top, meansadapted to draw the tops of the marginal tiltable members toward themedial member yieldingly, and marginal wedging members fitting betweenand in beveled ways on the tiltable members whereby when in place in theblock on removal of a holding means the wedging members will be liftedand moved inwardly by the inswinging ways on the tilting members. i

6. In combination in a hat-forming block, a relatively fixed medialmember, opposite non-hinged marginal tiltable members, means connectingthe tiltable members adapted to tilt them inwardly automatically, anddetachable marginal members tting wedgingly between the tiltable membersand adapted to be moved upwardly and inwardly by the wedging action ofthe tiltable members when drawn toward each other tiltably.

7. In a hat-forming block, a base, a medial member fixed on the base,marginal hat-block. members opposite each other and bearing at thebottom tiltably against the medial member, means for tilting saidmembers toward each other, other marginal hat-block members interposedwedgingly between the firstmention ed marginal members and adapted tomove wedgingly on ways therefor on said irst-enumerated marginalmembers.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES W. BROWN.

Witnesses:

C. T. BENEDICT, C. H. KEENEY.

